The French satellite service provider Eutelsat has just announced on February 24 th that it has successfully completed the world's first test of connecting to the 5G non-terrestrial network using low-Earth orbit satellites (LEO) by OneWeb (¹).
This program not only addresses today's connectivity needs, but also lays the foundations for Europe's strategic autonomy in a digitalised world. ”
He said.
Eutelsat
Eutelsat Group is one of the world's leading satellite communications operators, specializing in the provision of connectivity and video services worldwide. A result of the merger of Eutelsat and OneWeb in 2023, the group has become the world's leading operator of GEO-LEO satellites (²), with a fleet of 35 geostationary satellites and a low-Earth orbit constellation (LEO) currently comprises 652 operational satellites.
Photo credit : Eutelsat Group
Eutelsat explained that the OneWeb satellites were built by Airbus and used chips from the Taiwanese company MediaTek, and equipment from Sharp and Rohde & Schwarz to carry out the tests.
Eutelsat is one of the leading satellite operators selected by the’European Union for the program IRIS². 5G non-terrestrial networks (NTN) are one of the projects developed as part of the IRIS² constellation to provide wireless coverage to deprived areas directly from space.
IRIS²
IRIS² (Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity, and Security by Satellite) will 270 Satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and 18 Medium Earth Orbit satellites (MEO). The constellation is expected to be fully operational in 2030. The deployment of 5G NTN is expected to reduce the cost of internet access and expand satellite broadband for 5G devices, Eutelsat added.
But above all, this program should make it possible to quickly free itself from dependence on the Starlink network, and later Kuiper (³), by providing a credible and universal European technological alternative.
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(¹) Eutelsat/news 24 February 2025
(²) GEO = Geostationary Orbit at 35.786 km high, LEO = Low Earth Orbit between 200 and 1.000 km approx..
(³) Internet par satellites : Riffifi in the firmament
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Thank you for the information.
A European network planned for 2030 so it will be 2035.
So we will be more than ten years behind on starlink .
Yes, interesting, especially since SL-musk is talking about disconnecting Ukraine , better to distance yourself from the US, but for us sailing ships ⛵️ in Polynesia or inhabitants on the islands 2030.. is not yet so we have to continue to traffic with SL subscriptions..